Detachable pneumatic for player-pianos.



C. V. JAMESON.

DETACHABLE PNEUMATIC FOR PLAYER PIANOS.

APPLlCATlON FILED JAN-18.1915.

1,21 9,105. I Patented Mar. 13, I917.

- E9583 72703 C/zarjarzfijamewpn/ WOK-WM' CHARLES V. JAMESON,

OF CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS.

DETACHABLE PNEUMATIC FOR PLAYER-PIANOS.

Application filed January 18, 1915.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES V. JAMEsON, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Detachable Pneumatics for Player-Pianos, oi? which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to detachable pneumatics for player pianos, and has for its object the organization with the pneumatic of all of the immediate air controlling de vices therefor into a self contained unit, and the provision of means by which such units may be individually inserted in or removed from the player without removing or displacing the parts of the player with which the unit is associated, or displacing the adjustment of any of the parts of which the unit is composed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of one of the units in its relationship to the vacuum chest and its associated sticker;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing two units adjacent to each other; and

Fig. 3 is an irregular longitudinal section showing the elements which constitute the unit.

The valve box consists of three superimposed plates 5, 6 and 7, the latter of which is the stationary member of the pneumatic 8. These plates have recesses and holes bored in them for providing valve chambers in the box and channels for the passage of air to and from the pneumatic. In one chamber is a valve 14 which controls an inlet port 13 and anoutlet port e3. This valve is operated by pouches controlled by another valve The valve 35 is operated by a pouch beneath it which is controlled by air admitted at a tracker bar and flowing through a tube 28. The rate of exhaust from beneath the pouches is controlled by a bleed screw 38 which is designed to throttle the air passage leading from beneath one pouch to the exhaust channel 16.

i The structure so far set forth is the same as that shown in my pending application Serial Number 2835, filed on even date herewith. The details of structure are not material to the present case except in that they set forth what things are combined together to form the pneumatic unit of this application. Briefly, the pneumatic unit con- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

Serial No. 2,836.

sists of the pneumatic itself and the air controlling devices between the pneumatic and the tracker tube 28. They may be of any construction.

The vacuum chest consists of a cylindrical tube 17 which connects to a bellows or to a chamber exhausted by a bellows. The tube 17 extends the length oi the interior of the piano casing and is supported at intervals by plates 50. In the lower face of the tube 17 are a series of holes, spaced apart a distance corresponding to the desired spacing of the pneumatics "from each other, and adapted to match and form continuations of the holes 16 in the valve boxes. F or the purpose of avoiding the necessity of making these holes match accurately, and for the purpose of making a tight joint between the vacuum chest and the removable box, the holes are made larger than necessary for free exhaust, and the vacuum chest is set into a circular bearing or seat formed in the top of the box at the point where the hole 16 is located. It will be obvious that the round form of the vacuum chest, and the relatively large size of the ports connecting chest and box, make it possible to vary the position of the pneumatic rotatively about the axis of the chest as a pivot without interfering with operativeness.

A bar or rail 4:5 is secured in the piano casing, and to this rail a spring a6 is secured by means of ascrew 47. The spring 4H; extends over the top of the chest 17, and its forward end is provided with a small hole adapted to engage a pin 48 in the front end of the valve box. Also in the rail 45 is a pin 49 adapted to engage a hole in the rear end of the box and support the box at the rear. These parts are so related to each other that the spring %6 acts to clamp the pneumatic unit to the vacuum chest 17, while at the same time permitting the unit to be removed by the manual release of the free end of the spring from the pin i8.

The movable part of the imeumatic 8 has a projection 51 in which is an adjustable screw 59. Mounted upon the screw 52 is a sliding head 53 supported by a spring '34. The head 63 engages the under face of a projection on the sticker to operate the piano. It will be obvious from the construction that the screw serves to adjust the connection between the pneumatic and the sticker and thereby avoid the necessity of accurately placing the pm 19 with respect to the sticker as well as with respect to the vacuum chest.

What I claim is:

1. A pneumatic and a valve box connected together, the box having an air port con nected to a cylindrical seat formed in the surface of the box, a cylindrical vacuum Chest fitting into the seat and having a port arranged to connect with the port in the box, and a clamping device for securing the box to the vacuum chest.

2. The combination with a cylindricah vacuum chest having a port therein, and a valve box having a curved seat fitting the exterior surface of the chest and a port located within the curve of the seat, of a releasable clamping device for securing the box to the chest with the two ports in C0l11- munication with each other.

3. The combination with the casing and stickers of a piano, of a tubular vacuum chest provided with ports corresponding to the stickers, pneumatic units provided with curved seats having ports corresponding to the ports in the chest, supports in the casing for the rear ends of the units, and clamping devices for securing the units to the chest and supporting the front ends of said units.

The combination with the casing and vacuum chest of a player piano, of a valve ox engaging one side of the chest and hav ingits rear end sugported by the casing, a spring engaging the opposite side of the chest and having one end secured to the casing, and a releasable connection between the front end oi? the box and the free end of the spring whereby the chest is clamped between the box and the spring.

Signed at Chicago, Ill, this 15th day of January, 1.915.

CHARLES V. JAMESON. V itnesses WALTER I i. REDFILD, JAMES C. REDFILD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

